Philharmonia Baroque
Chamber Players| June 12

Ever the cosmopolitan, Georg Philipp Telemann continually sought in his music to unify the dominant French and Italian styles of his day. In preparation for a visit to Paris in 1730, Telemann had published six “quartets” as a thank-you gift to his hosts—flautist Michel Blavet, violinist Jean-Pierre Guignon, gambist Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, and a cellist/harpsichordist called Prince Édouard. Alas, he was unable to actually travel to Paris until 1737, at which point he published another six quartets. Since then, these twelve quartets—now known as the “Paris” Quartets—have charmed audiences with their melodic inventiveness and clever textures.

Stephen Schultz, flute; Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin; Alexa Haynes-Pilon, cello; David Morris, viola da gamba ; Katherine Heater, harpsichord 

The Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players are a small ensemble of musicians from Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, whose mission is to present audiences throughout the world with historically-informed performances of music from the Baroque, Classical, and Early Romantic periods, as well as new music, using period instruments and vocal techniques that capture the style, spirit, and distinctive sound of that time.